2011 Pink Together Campaign Awareness and Giveaway!

I have joined the 2011 Pink Together campaign! Please take a few moments out of your time and join the cause too! I used to work at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and I have to say that year I worked there was the most inspiring year of my life! Cancer patients teach something about life that you cannot gain from books, the teach you LIFE and IT'S WORTH! And how to appreciate every moment of the day. They teach you HOPE, their ability to fight this disease head on and fight to live, is inspirational! If you ever get a chance, to see that side of the Cancer Battle, I hope you are open to its teachings! 

Find hope. Be inspired. Know you are not alone. Join the 2011 Pink Together™ campaign – now in its fifth year of celebrating hope – by visiting PinkTogether.com to connect with a unique online community of people who have been touched by breast cancer and share a passion for the cause. Individually we are strong, but together we are stronger.

Here is how you can help:

• Visit PinkTogether.com to share your personal story and messages of hope and read about others’ personal journeys. To encourage personal connections, General Mills will donate $1 to the Komen organization for each Message of Hope that is sent to someone who has shared their story on PinkTogether.com (up to $25,000) during October. This is in addition to a $2 million donation General Mills is making to the Komen organization.
• This year, for the first time in its five-year history, at PinkTogether.com consumers can choose how $1 million of this donation will be shared between two important Komen programs: the Treatment and Assistance Program, which assists women in securing care they otherwise may not be able to afford, and Prevention Research, which helps unlock the keys to preventing breast cancer. Visit PinkTogether.com from September 19, 2011 through April 14, 2012 to make your choice. Results will be announced on Mother’s Day 2012 – Sunday, May 13.
• Meet the 2011 Pink Together Survivor Ambassadors, and hear their amazing stories of courage and survival on PinkTogether.com and the Pink Together YouTube Channel.
• General Mills will also be turning the packaging of participating products pink in recognition of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October. 

And for joining the campaign and sharing this movement, one (1) lucky reader will win an awesome prize pack, which consists of:

• A 16 oz. box of Total cereal
• VIP coupons valid for one box of Cheerios and Multigrain Cheerios cereal and one cup of Yoplait yogurt

• Betty Crocker Living with Cancer Cookbook Pink Together Edition, which includes a collection of more than 150 delicious recipes with complete nutrition information and a 32-page Pink Together Survivor Ambassador bonus section that shares inspirational personal stories of survival as well as recipes

• Water bottle and removable silicone awareness bracelet
• Drawstring sport backpack
• Rhinestone ear buds

 To enter, please share in a comment below, one of these topics:

• How have you been touched by breast cancer
• How have you interacted with the community on PinkTogether.com
• What do you find most inspiring about the Pink Together community
• If you have chosen the Komen program, what do you feel most passionate about at PinkTogether.com

Leave your comment below! Remember to leave your email! The giveaway will end, October 31, 2011 @ 11:59pm. I will the chose a random winner and contact them via email. 


“Disclosure: The Pink Together prize pack, information and coupons have been provided free of charge by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.”

The New Annie Sez: East Brunswick, NJ

On Wednesday, I was given the opportunity to drive out to East Brunswick,NJ to the Pre-Grand Opening of The NEW Annie Sez! And I have to say this is no longer where you grandmother shops!! Or maybe she does if she is hip and fashionable!



Just upon entering the store, I was greeted with wonderful staff and a beautiful ambiance...and of course GREAT FASHION!! I was shocked to see that what I remember Annie Sez being was sooooo not the case anymore. I was introduced to some great new fashion trends! Not to mention, awesome designers like Missoni, Prada, Betsey Johnson and so much more! And even better, at a reasonable price.







Each blogger was given a $75 gift card, courtesy of Annie Sez, to shop for some Fall Fashion! And shop we did. While, we shopped, we chatted with one another and made great blogger connections! I mean what woman doesn't love to shop and be with their girlfriends while doing it! I know I do!!

Ladies, if there is an Annie Sez in your neighborhood, grab your wallets and put on your shopping shoes and get ready to find all the newest fashion trends at a reasonable price. And if your a Jersey Girl, stop into the NEW Annie Sez in East Brunswick, I promise you willl love the experience!

This is my two cents, but they count!!!

Disclaimer: Gift Card was provided courtesy of The New Annie Sez of East Brunswick, NJ for this review.

Review: Cirque Du Soleil: Zarkana

Last Friday, Myself and my cousin in law, Tina Torres, were given the opportunity to attend a showing of Zarkana! And I have to say, I was totally excited to be  a part of such an amazing show! I have not visited Radio City Music Hall since I was a small child and I had forgotten how beautiful it is. Walking to my seats, I was taking in all the lovely architecture and lighting. The stage was set for the show and i couldn't wait to see what was to come. But, oh my eyes did not expect such vividness. I just did not know where to look first! My eyes wondered over the colors, the lighting, and the characters. My ears got to listen to wonderful rock inspired music. It was if all my senses were dancing together, it was quite dizzying!

The storyline was that of Zarkana, a man, looking for his love, Leah. He searched and searched and came upon many different woman. All who wanted to love him but he only had eyes for one! By the final performance, it is revealed that she was all those woman and was testing his love for her. It was a beautiful, romantic storyline. We all dream of a man who will only have eyes for us, even through temptation, he turns all others away. That is true love! But its not all lovey dovey,there are characters who make you laugh so hard, your stomach hurts. The performers and acrobats amaze you with these high difficulty stunts that have you on the edge of your seats!

I highly recommend that you all see this show before it ends here in NYC. It is an experience that you won't soon forget. I know I won't! These are just my two cents, but they count!!

Here is a little preview of what I saw:























Disclosure: I was provided the tickets by Zarkana for this review.

Is Your Child Being Bullied?

Posted By Our Mommy's Links Site Owner, Jen Nevadomski:
Bullying is everyone’s problem… Fighting back, the stakes couldn’t be higher

CBS NEWS presents a 48 HOURS SPECIAL ON BULLYING IN THE DIGITAL AGE, to be broadcast this FRIDAY, SEPT. 16 at 8pm- ”Bullying: Words Can Kill”
See a sneak preview:




Today, I attended a round-table discussion/luncheon with the producers and correspondent of 48 Hours, an amazing panel, and a group of about 15 bloggers to discuss the problem of BULLYING. Thank you to CBS, 48 Hours, and The Role Mommy Network for including me in this discussion. Children in every school in every part of the country need us to help them. As bloggers, we can help spread the word to parents, teachers and friends. As parents, we must do whatever we need to do to protect our children. Children should not live in fear, especially in school. Bullying can begin at a very young age, younger than we might thing. Bullying can end in tragic consequences. It IS our responsibility to help these children.


As a new school year begins across the country, more than 160,000 children will stay home every day because they are afraid of being bullied. That is just one of the startling facts in the CBS News/48 HOURS presentation “Bullying: Words Can Kill.” Reported by correspondent Tracy Smith, the program airing Friday, Sept. 16 (8:00 PM, ET/PT) reveals how the explosion in technology is only making bullying worse, as victims cannot find relief from their tormentors in a 24/7 digital world. The report, with links to the CBS News website, will have important new information for parents, educators and legislators about how bullying affects children and how to address it. Plus, viewers can join the conversation online on Facebook and Twitter.

For six months, producers and camera crews were allowed in-depth access to the classrooms, cafeteria and gym at a Rhode Island middle school that is one of the few in the United States that has openly acknowledged it has a bullying problem and has taken action to address it. The 48 HOURS special documents the real lives of students at that particular school, and has the powerful stories of other young people and their families from around the country who have felt the impact of bullying firsthand.

One constantly harassed 13-year-old told Smith, “They got inside my head. They did it because they knew it would hurt.” His mother said dropping him off at school was like “sending him off to war.” Tragically, more than 150 children have taken their own lives in recent years because they were victims of harassment in school and online.

Among those featured in the broadcast:

Dara Genovese, 13, bullying victim: “If you have ever been bullied, harassed, tortured, which I hope you haven’t, let me tell you, it is the worst. I mean, worst feeling ever.”

“You’re laying in bed and you’re just thinking, like… what would it be like if you’re not here? Like… would it be better? Or, like, would people be happier – or just – just you wonder, you think a lot of questions.”

Johnny Cagno, victim of bullying who attempted suicide at age 14: “When you’re tortured every single day, it gets to you. I was very, very scared to go to school every day.”

Lisa Cagno, Johnny’s mother: “He was hurting himself. He was cutting himself, and he would just (say), ‘I hate myself, I don’t want to live anymore. I hate my life. Nobody likes me, no one cares about me.’ And I just – I would just have to constantly just reassure him. I couldn’t get those feelings out of his head."

Cynthia Logan, a parent who lost her daughter because of bullying: “We have principals in our schools and superintendents who don’t want to acknowledge the problem. They don’t want it to be their problem. I did as much as I could do as a parent, knowing as little as I did.”

This broadcast is produced by Deborah Grau and Judy Rybak. The senior producers are Kathleen O’Connell and Paul Ryan, and Al Briganti is the executive editor. Susan Zirinsky is the executive producer.

Mommy's Links....Are you a member yet?

I wanted to share with all my blogger friends this great new social network for NY Metro Area Moms!! It's called Mommy's Links! I have been a member from its inception in January 2011 and have watched it grow trememndously. So much so that I decided to help in its quest for greatness. You can find me as a member on the site as Ms.TwoCents, of course! But I am not only a member now, I also the Managing Editor of the site! I would like to invite all you moms to come check us out. And though our events are for NYers, our site is for all moms!

Just a little background on Mommy's Link:

Started in 2010, Mommy’s Links is THE Social Network for New York Metro Moms BY moms, FOR moms. As motherhood is the most rewarding and wonderful job in the world, it can also have its challenges.  We all need a place to go to be ourselves, get and give advice, share stories, make friends, vent, and find a little time in our hectic day for US.  That’s what Mommy’s Links is here for. 

Not only do we have this great social network but we also have an awesome meetup/events group! In our meetup group, we have all events and meetups posted. We also give our members a voice and ask them to make suggestions on meetups and events they would like to see happen! How great is that?

So....take a few minutes and check it out! I know I love it and have become a great supporter! That's my two cents...and they count!!!

Mommy's Links

 Mommy's & Daddy's Links Meetup Group

40% off at Justice.com - Great Back To School Deals!

With back to school approaching, stock up on these awesome deals at Justice.com for your precious princess!

Just click on the banner above and start shopping! You will receive 40% off your entire order! Just think how much you will save!

North Carolina lawmakers pass abortion law over veto

Read this article here in full that was published on Reuters.com and tell me if you agree and what your stand point is on this issue!

Women seeking an abortion in North Carolina will have to wait 24 hours, receive counseling and be presented with an ultrasound image of the fetus under an informed consent law passed on Thursday over the governor's objections.

Democratic Governor Beverly Perdue had vetoed the measure. But the state Senate voted on Thursday to override the veto, two days after the House of Representatives took similar action, which means the bill is now law and will take effect in October.

North Carolina joins 25 other states that require pre-abortion counseling that goes beyond basic medical "informed consent," according to Elizabeth Nash, public policy associate with Guttmacher Institute in Washington.

It is the tenth state to include the additional requirement of an ultrasound, which has drawn legal challenges in several states, Nash said.

The North Carolina law will require that an ultrasound image be presented and the sound of the fetal heartbeat be offered, though a woman is free to look away and ignore an explanation and medical description of what is on the screen.

Perdue, a Democrat and North Carolina's first female governor, vetoed the bill on June 27. In her veto message, she called the legislation a "dangerous intrusion into the confidential relationship that exists between women and their doctors."

Republican Representative Ruth Samuelson, the primary sponsor of the bill, has defended it as providing crucial information for women who are making a major and irrevocable decision.

North Carolina's General Assembly had been relatively moderate among Southern states in regulating abortion, but momentum for change grew last November when Republicans took control of both legislative chambers for the first time in more than a century.

Paige Johnson, a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood of Central North Carolina, said this week that women don't need "state-scripted" counseling before they consent to a procedure they have already considered.

"Women give this decision great thought, and these legislators have passed legislation that assumes women are not capable of making this decision," Johnson said.

According to the latest figures available from the Guttmacher Institute, there were 33,140 abortions in North Carolina in 2008.

(Edited by Colleen Jenkins and Greg McCune)

I personally think that counseling is a good idea but to force a woman to listen to a fetal heartbeat on a sonogram is a little over the top. I just feel like they are using a tactic that is unfair to a woman. I know how I felt the first time I heard all three of my boys heartbeats...there is nothing like that moment. Now, imagine someone doing that to you when you had no intention on carrying that fetus to term. How do you think it would make them feel? I just think it is going to force alot of woman to chose motherhood when they are clearly not ready. In turn, allowing for more children to end up on the news as abused or dead! Roe vs Wade existed for this reason...give a woman a choice. I am sure that each and every woman who has every had an abortion has had to deal with the guilt of it at some point in their lives but can you imagine the guilt the state will have on their hands when that child they seemed to have forced on a woman is found beaten or dead. I don't know! This topic is just way too controversial! But these are still my two cents...and they count!

Come and dicuss the topic here with us on Mommy's Links!